BENTONVILLE — Evelyn Jorgenson fondly recalls growing up on a farm in central Missouri where, even as a child, she played the role of an educator.
“I remember playing school with my siblings,” Jorgenson said. “I set up a little pretend school. I was the oldest one, so I was in charge and I’d give them homework to do.”
The teacher turned out to be a pretty good student. She went on to college and eventually earned a doctorate.
Monday marks the beginning of a new chapter in Jorgenson’s life. That’s when she takes off ce as the third president at North-West Arkansas Community College.
It’s a big change for both Jorgenson and the college. Jorgenson just completed a 16-year run as president of Moberly Area Community College in Moberly, Mo. NorthWest Arkansas Community College, meanwhile, will get to know a new leader after 10 years with Becky Paneitz at the helm.
Jorgenson said she wasn’t unhappy with her job in Moberly. She simply sought “one more big adventure” when she applied for the presidency in Bentonville. She also likes she’ll still be within a day’s drive of her two adult children in Kansas City and her mother in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
“Life is short,” she said. “You reach a point where you say, ‘If I’m going to have any other big adventures, if I’m going to be president in another place, I need to do that pretty soon. I need to leave what’s comfortable, cherished and warm and go out and be brave and try something else.”’
FUN ON THE FARM
Jorgenson, 61, was born in Koeltztown, Mo., a rural community about 17 miles southeast of the state capital of Jefferson City. Her father was a farmer who also worked at a steel plant in Jeft erson City. The family moved west to Sedalia, Mo., where Jorgenson and her siblings graduated from high school.
The 520-acre farm where the family lived in Koeltztown was “a great place to grow up,” she said.
“Being a farmer is a diff cult life,” Jorgenson said. “Every year they plant crops and hope and pray they get rain. But as a child you’re kind of oblivious to all that. It’s fun. It’s about riding cows, chasing the chickens, building tunnels in the hay loft. It’s all a great memory for me.”
Her first taste of higher education was at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, where she earned an associate’s degree. That’s also where she met her husband, Chuck Jorgenson.
The young couple moved to Columbia, Mo., because Chuck Jorgenson had received a job at the University of Missouri. Evelyn Jorgenson, while working on her bachelor’s degree in fi ne arts, found a job as a GED teacher.
“That was a perfect opportunity to help people recognize not only how they could change their own lives, but the lives of their families,” she said.
After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, Jorgenson went on to get her master’s degree and her doctorate in higher and adult education at the University of Missouri.
Jorgenson started working at Moberly Area Community College in 1987. She was named president in 1996. By the time she left last week she had the longest tenure of any president at Missouri’s 12 community colleges.
‘CONSENSUS BUILDER’
More than 30 people applied for the president’s job at NorthWest Arkansas Community College last year after Paneitz announced her retirement.
Randy Lawson, a Board of Trustees member at the time, was appointed to lead a search committee for the new president. That committee identified four fi nalists for the job.
“Dr. Jorgenson stood out very well in a very strong candidate pool,” Lawson said. “I think we felt like, given the rich history of NWACC and where it is today and what we need in the future, she was best suited at this point in time for the college.”
Jorgenson’s track record, along with her personality and demeanor, also made her stand out, Lawson said.
Jeftrey Lashley worked for Jorgenson throughout her time as president at Moberly Area Community College. He was promoted from vice president for instruction to president once Jorgenson left.
Lashley said he has “tremendous respect” for Jorgenson. He called her a great person and an outstanding leader.
“She does the right thing, and she wants people around her to do the right thing,” Lashley said. “She’s the kind of leader that encourages collaboration and innovation and encourages staft to push the boundaries. She had everyone’s total confidence. And she’s the same person every day. Nothing rattled her. She’s just really easy to work for.”
One of Jorgenson’s signature projects at Moberly was the Graphic Arts/Fine Arts Center. In 1996 the college opened a new arena, leaving its old basketball coliseum vacant. Jorgenson decided to transform that space into a fine arts center, while maintaining the historic basketball court fl oors. The $1.4 million renovation was completed in 2002, according to the college website, and the center hosts various art exhibits each year showcasing both local and international artists.
In honor of her work, the college’s board recently decided to name that building the Evelyn E. Jorgenson Fine Arts Center. Jorgenson also created an endowment for the arts to go with the center, Lashley said.
“She has done a lot to bring fine arts to the forefront,” he said.
Gregory Walker, president of the Moberly Area Community College board, said during Jorgenson’s tenure, the college expanded from one campus in Moberly to several facilities in neighboring communities. That happened primarily because of her leadership style.
“She’s a consensus builder,” Walker said.
One of the pleasant surprises with Jorgenson, Walker said, was how well she managed to communicate the needs of community colleges to the Missouri Legislature.
“She held the highest level of respect of everyone at the General Assembly,” Walker said.
“We’re pleased that Evelyn Jorgenson has found an opportunity to have a positive impact on another community college. We will miss her leadership, her role in helping the college grow, but we’re proud of her accomplishments and we know NWACC is fortunate to have her at the helm,” Walker said.
BENTONVILLE BOUND
Jorgenson said she has lost track of how many times she’s been to this area since she was hired for the presidency at college in November. She’s made trips for, among other things, the college’s graduation, a “meet the new president” reception and a board meeting. She and her husband have found a home in Rogers.
Paneitz said she will be around if Jorgenson needs her, but otherwise she will stay out of the new president’s way. She said she and Jorgenson have had several conversations, either on the phone or in person.
“The biggest gift I can give her is to let her transition without me being around,” Paneitz said. “She just needs to define who she is as the new president.”
One of the biggest challenges Jorgenson will face is maintaining relationships with all the communities the college serves, Paneitz said. She mentioned regional and state politics as another challenge.
“You’re expected to play with the big dogs,” Paneitz said.
Every community has certain expectations of its community college, Jorgenson said.
“There are a lot of people tugging at the institution, but there are limitations to what you can do,” Jorgenson said. “You can’t be everything to all people.”
Dealing with finances as enrollment plateaus — the college just saw the first enrollment dip in its history — will be another challenge, she said. At the same time, keeping tuition and fees down is a high priority, she said.
“It’s just so important to us because we know we are often the only access to higher education that some students have,” Jorgenson said. “Community colleges work harder than anyone else in the education world to have low tuition and fees. It’s very important for the population we serve. Part of having good access is aft ordability.”
Jorgenson apparently enjoys her work.
“I love community colleges,” she said. “Whether it’s basketball games or student art exhibits or summer events held on campus, I enjoy that. I enjoy seeing the community college be such an integral part of the community. I enjoy providing opportunities to people to do new things. So it’s really kind of exciting.”